Dynamic Movement Intervention (DMI Therapy)

As the vital partner for the profession, the Canadian Physiotherapy Association (CPA) leads, advocates, and inspires excellence and innovation to promote health. CPA’s goal is to provide exceptional service, valuable information and connections to the profession of physiotherapy, across Canada and around the world.

The Paediatric Division is a special interest group within the Canadian Physiotherapy Association. Our membership consists of clinicians from all practice settings, students, educators, researchers, physiotherapy assistants and administrators all of whom have a passion for promoting participation and enhancing the lives of children and their families. We are dedicated to provide resources and information for paediatric patients and their families to promote participation and function independence in all aspects of life.

Paediatric physiotherapists employ clinical expertise in the early detection of health problems, treatment, education and management of congenital, developmental, neuromuscular, skeletal, cardiorespiratory or acquired disorders/diseases. Paediatric physiotherapists work with children of all ages, from infants through young adulthood to promote participation and functional independence. Paediatric physiotherapists have a unique role in that they not only work with the child, but also their families in the context of their daily home, school and recreational environment.

Paediatric physiotherapists use validated outcome measures to assess the level of strength, flexibility, gross-, and fine-motor coordination and overall functional capabilities to determine participation limitations or restrictions as a result of injury, disease or disability.

Through analysis of objective assessment findings, the paediatric physiotherapist uses evidence-based treatment interventions specifically tailored to the client and their family's goals. Treatment interventions focus on improving gross and fine motor skills, balance and coordination, strength and endurance, as well as cognitive and sensory processing/integration.

Jo-Anne Weltman graduated from Wits University in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1991 with a B.S.c. in Physiotherapy. Since then she has completed her MRSc. with research in Hip Dysplasia in Cerebral Palsy at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. She has taken numerous courses over the years including NDT, Conductive Education, Therapeutic Taping, Theratogs application, Therasuit Approach, TASES (NMES) and Spinal Stimulation, Vestibular-Ocular therapy, CVI, CME III, Reflex Integration, Sensory Integration, Orthopaedics in Children - to name a few.

Jo-Anne lives and works in Toronto, Canada. Her objective has always been to provide the best services to the children that she works with. so she opened S.M.I.L.E. Therapy for Kids a private practice that specializes in child development, to meet the demand for all areas of developmental and orthopaedic therapy in children. She continues to research and find the best treatments for all the children that are under her care and connects with specialists all over the world to achieve this.

Jo-Anne is an advocate for children with special needs and their families and works hard at trying to make changes in many areas to help these children as well as increasing their general level of care by educating those who will provide care to them. She is the CO-Founder or DMI Therapy, and teaches therapists all over the world.